Fingertip bandage



United States Patent References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,054,768 9/1936 Gale [28/268 2,875,758 3/1959 Fuzak et al. 128/157 3,068,863 l2/l962 Bowman 128/132 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,380 12/1948 Canada 128/157 Primary Examiner-Adele M. Eager Attorney-Arthur W. Fuzak ABSTRACT: A fingertip bandage of the type having a plurality of oppositely disposed wing-like segments is provided with adhesive releasable facing sheets disposed on opposite sides of the centermost wing segments.

FINGERTIP BANDAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improvement in a fingertip bandage of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,758, of which I am one of the joint inventors, and is more particularly directed to the configuration anddisposition on the adhesive sheet of such bandage of the facing sheets requiredto protect the adhesive quality of such sheet.

The bandage disclosed in such patent has a pair of facing sheets, one of which covers three of the adhesive backed plastic sheet segments on one side of the gauze pad and the other of which covers the other three adhesive backed segments on the other side of the gauze pad. While the basic configuration of such bandage has proven to be eminently superior in the performance of its first-aid function, it is required that both facing sheets be removed before the bandage can be applied to a fingertip or other extremity.

It is an object of my invention toprovide an improved fingertip bandage which can be more readily and easily applied to an injured extremity than bandages of the prior art. I further wish to disclose an improved bandage which provides an indicia for easy and ready application of the bandage to a fingertip.

These, as well as other objects of my invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure as related to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the basic form of my invention, showing one of the two facing sheets partly removed;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bandage of FIG. 1 showing one of the facing sheets completely removed and a finger on the bandage in position for bandaging;

FIGS. 3-7 are perspective views of my bandage, illustrating the manner of application to a fingertip; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a fingertip dressing which has its face sheets removed.

The general configuration and construction of my bandage is substantially as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,758, the entire disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bandage is made of a sheet of adhesive-coated fabric or film 1 which is cut to have the shape shown in the patent. A protective covering or pad 2 which extends essentially lengthwise between the end edges is adhered to a central portion of the sheet.

The preferred configuration of my bandage takes the form illustrated in FIG. 2 of my patent, although the instant invention is equally applicable to each of the other forms exemplified by FIGS. 1 and 3 through 6 thereof.

In FIG. 1, the protective pad 2 and the areas of the sheet extending lengthwise thereof to the opposite ends of the sheet define two side areas, each of which is comprised of the wing segments 21 and 22', and 23 and 24 and the side seal tabs 19 and 20. The tabs are separated from the adjacent wing segments by the slits 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Wing segments 21 through 24 are trapezoidal in shape although it will be readily apparent that sides 25through 28 need not necessarily be parallel to the sides 29 and 30 of the protective covering 31 or to each other so long as these wings have sufficient surface area to adhere effectively to the finger. The end edges 32 through 35 are tapered outwardly from the covering and towards the sides 25 through 28 of the wings at an angle of approximately The improvement in the patented bandage to which this invention is specifically directed is the positioning of the facing strips 3 and 4. In the bandage of the patent, itwill be seen that the facing strips extend laterally sideways essentially on opposite sides of a center line which extends from end to end of the bandage.

prior to application of the bandage. Since the materials of which the adhesive sheet are made are now conventionally soft, pliable plastics, removal of both facing sheets prior to application of the bandage may occasionally result in an inadvertent self-adherence of certain segments of the bandage. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the wing segment 21 may adhere to itself as at 41 or to the pad 2 as at 42 and the side seal tab 19 may adhere to itself as at 43. When this occurs, it is first necessary to separate the elements before the bandage can be used sequently, the side seal tabs 19 and 20 are not in a position to be pulled down and adhered to the sides of the finger.

My invention is directed to the solution, of both of these problems. The adhesive releasable facing sheets 3 and 4 inmy invention are positioned on the adhesive sheet and are}. removed thereform in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 through 4,

Facing sheets 3 and 4 which take the configuration of the un-,

derlying adhesive sheet segment each cover essentially one. half of the bandage. Sheets 3 and 4 have ends 37 and38 which abut or overlap one another along a median line that extends transversely of the bandage between the opposed ends of tabs, 19 and 20 and which is essentially at the mid-point of the bandage. The term median line as used herein andin the.

claims is intended to be understood as being a transverse line which falls within the area of the side seal tabs 19 and 20 preferably, though not mandatorily, in a position which bisects the tabs. It is also specifically to be understoodthat when the term "abuts" or abutting is used herein or in the. claims to define the relationship of the adjacentfacingsheets, it is intended to include a relationship between the sheets where one of the two facing sheets overlaps the other. Indeed, in the preferred form of my invention, the facing sheet 3 has an end 37 which overlaps the end 38 of facing sheet 4, In addition, the overlapping face sheet 37 may befolded back upon itself as shown at40 to make the face sheet easier to grip and remove.

Referring now to FIG. 2, when the face sheet 4 is removed, a finger can be placed on the pad for bandaging in such manner that the end 38 of face sheet 4 serves as an indicia for positioning the end of the finger. This simplifies the bandaging procedure since with the finger positioned accurately, the bandage can be applied in such manner thattheside sealtabs l9 and 20 will extend along the sides of the finger.

Once the finger is placed on the pad and. the wingsadhered to the finger as shown in FIG. 3, the remaining face sheet can be withdrawn to leave the adhesive surfaces exposed for attachment of the remaining wing segments and tabs to the finger in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,758.

It will be seen that my invention provides for a fingertip bandage which is substantially easier to apply'to an injured ex} tremityand in which there is an improved means for properly positioning the injured extremity on the bandage. Y

Iclaim: V

1. In a fingertip dressing comprising an adhesive sheet having two pairs of inwardly converging notches directed transversely from the sides of said sheet, each pair of said notches being in'alignrnent with the other pair of said notches andeach notch terminatingat a point spaced from the notch with which it is in alignment a distance substantially equal to the widthof a finger, each pair of said notches further defining two wing segments and a tab segment intermediately adjacent said wing segments, the improvement comprising a pair of adhesive releasable face sheets extending laterally on opposite sides of a median line of said dressing and secured, each of said face sheets having one endwhich abuts one end of the other of said face sheets at said median line of said dressing.

2. In the fingertip dressing of claim 1' wherein the end of'one of said face sheets which abuts the end of the other face sheet overlaps the end of said otherface sheet.

3. In a fingertip bandage comprising an adhesive sheet upon which is centrally adhered a protective covering dividing the adhesive sheet into two side segments, each side segment having a pair of inwardly converging notches extending transversely from a side of said adhesive sheet substantially to a side of said protective covering and defining two externally located wing segments separated by a centrally located tab segment, the improvement comprising a pair of adhesive releasable face sheets covering said bandage and secured thereto, each of said face sheets having one end which abuts .one end of the other of said face sheets at a median line of said dressing.

4. In a fingertip dressing comprising a sheet of adhesive material having a central portion approximating the width of a human finger and of sufficient length to form, when folded over the tip of the finger, a fingertip covering mid-section and finger side covering end-sections at opposite sides of the finger, said side covering end-sections extending to points on opposite sides of the finger coextensive with the base of the cuticle; a first pair of side wings extending laterally from one of said finger side covering end-sections; a second pair of side wings extending laterally from the other of said finger side covering end-sections; said side wings being substantially coextensive with said side covering end-sections and adapted to wrap in overlapping relation about the finger; and a pair of tabs extending laterally from the fingertip covering mid-section of said central portion and foldable longitudinally of the finger at opposite sides thereof, the confronting edges of said .tab wings relatively diverging, thereby to avoid interference:

of said dressing and having one end of said first face sheet abutting one end of said second face sheet in said fingertip covering mid-section.

5. In the fingertip dressing of claim 4 wherein one end of said second face sheet overlaps said one end of said first face sheet. 

